Porsche is readying an all-electric version of its four-door Panamera that will debut about the same time as a second-generation version of the battery-electric Taycan sports car.
Set to reach showrooms around 2027, the Panamera EV will use the same, all-new platform that Porsche is developing for the Taycan update, according to reports. It will yield longer range and better performance, as well as shorter charging times. But Porsche also plans to retain gas- and hybrid-powered versions of the Panamera until at least 2030, according to Britain’s Autocar.
The German automaker is ramping up its electrification program and, according to comments made earlier this year by CEO Oliver Blume, aims to have fully electric models account for 80% of its global sales by the end of the decade.
Porsche plugs in
The transition began with the debut of the original Taycan for the 2020 model year. Porsche is now working up a battery-electric version of its Macan SUV, with an EV version of the bigger Cayenne model in development, as well. And the transition will only accelerate.
“We are pushing ahead with our electric offensive,” Blume said earlier this summer, adding, “By the middle of the decade, we want to offer our 718 mid-engine sports car exclusively in an all-electric form.”
The 718 is the codename used for both the Porsche Boxster roadster and its coupe sibling, the Cayman.
The current version of the Taycan is based on the J1 architecture, a skateboard-like platform shared with the Audi e-tron and e-tron GT. But Porsche will migrate to two new platforms going forward.
PPE v SSP
The electric Cayenne and Macan models will ride atop the new Premium Platform Electric, or PPE, also being developed jointly by Porsche and Audi.
The next-gen Taycan will use the new Scalable Systems Platform, or SSP. That architecture will be slimmer, a format particularly useful for sports cars, sedans and coupes which traditionally ride low to ground, providing an improved center of gravity.
The SSP will make its debut, according to Porsche, underpinning a new three-row, seven-seat SUV. It’s expected to measure at least 197 inches in total length — compared to 194 for the current Cayenne. The new and as yet-unnamed SUV is expected to make its debut, Porsche previously announced “around the middle of the decade.”
Panamera EV to follow next-gen Taycan
The next version of the Taycan, meanwhile, will follow in 2027. About the same time, the all-electric version of the Panamera will reach market.
According to Autocar, the EV will adopt an extended layout, similar to the Panamera model currently sold in China which measures 208 inches in length, with a wheelbase of 122 inches. The standard version of the Panamera comes in around 195 inches and length with a 116-inch wheelbase.
Its unclear if the next Taycan might also be stretched. The current model, by comparison, is 195 inches long with a 114-inch wheelbase.
What next?
What happens once the all-electric Panamera debuts is a little unclear, depending upon sources. Autocar suggests the EV “will be sold alongside today’s combustion-engined and plug-in hybrid Panamera models.”
Trade publication Automotive News, however, reports the Panamera is “poised to go all-electric.” That might not happen until 2030, however, allowing for at least a brief period where the various models are all available in Porsche showrooms.
Porsche plans to eventually offer electric versions of all model lines — though the 911 could be the exception. Company officials have sent out mixed signals over the last few years, triggering a wide range of conflicting reports. Some contend a battery-powered 911 could debut before mid-decade, others expecting it to show up no sooner than 2030 — if at all.
A report in Germany’s Manager Magazin earlier this year claimed the key to getting a 911 EV will be the development of new solid-state batteries which could offer enough range and performance to satisfy traditional buyers despite the sports car’s relatively diminutive footprint. Porsche parent Volkswagen AG has a sizable investment in U.S.-based QuantumScape, considered one of the leaders in the development of that potentially breakthrough battery technology.
